Dispenser



W. E. REED March 2, 1965 DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 16, 1961FIG ATT'Y March 2, 1965 w. E. REED DISPENSER Filed 001;. 16, 1961 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR:

W/LL/S REED ATT'Y United States Patent 3,171,570 DISPENdER Willis E.Reed, 5825 Dunham Road, Downers Grove, lll. Filed Oct. 16, 1961, Ser.No. 145,104 2 Claims. Zl. 22223) This invention relates in general to adispenser for liquids and compounds, but more particularly to thefeeding of small amounts and at infrequent intervals.

Heretofore, liquid compounds have been manually applied regularly orperiodically by a brush or wiper by flowing or dripping through an openvalve; and by an oiler which must be vibrated. The present inventiondiffers from these methods by feeding a small amount of compound atslowly spaced intervals, or in small amounts or both, and by regularlyfeeding the compound by means of a continuously driven motor whichraises the material in an inclined plane and allows it to drip into areceptacle or upon some particular part as slowly and as rapidly asdesired.

An important object of the invention is to provide a compound dispenserwhich is motor driven and dispenses a small amount of material in dropsfrom a raised portion of a rotating member which dips at the bottom inthe material it is to feed, and is variable in speed for feeding a smallamount of material at regular intervals.

A further object of the invention is to provide a motor dispenser inwhich no vibration is required to maintain the feeding operation, butstill maintaining absolute control over any quantity that is fed.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a feeder in whichthere are no small orifices through which the material is fed, in whichthe material tends to become clogged because of the smallness of thepassage.

Still a further object of the inveniton is to prevent loss or wastage ofprecious compounds such as diamond, sapphire or metal dust from beingwasted by a forgetful operator.

Other and further objects of the invention are to prevent abrasive orcorrosive compounds from contaminating the electric motor and itsdriving connection because of the inclined drive; to provide an electricsolenoid valve which is automatically operated when the machine isstarted; by adding or removing ladies and by engaging or disengagingwipers from the feeding disc for varying the quantities dispensed; andto utilize standard motors and other equipment for feeding quantities aslow as one drop per hour.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the specification and willbe apparent from the accompanying drawings in which,

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a closed receptacle with a dispenser inaccordance with this invention operable therein;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the outside of the receptacle shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the mechanism and receptacle shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a face view of a feeding disc as shown in connection with theconstruction of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one of the ladies or dippers as attachedto a disc as shown in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of the electrical connections forcontrolling the driving motor, the signal lamp, and the solenoid valve.

It sometimes becomes diflicult to feed a small measured quantity of aliquid such as oil or a compound containing a liquid and some dust of aprecious metal such as diamond dust or gold dust and to regularly feed avery small quantity of this material without clogging the receiving lineor the discharging line.

The present invention overcomes all of these difiiculties by providing afeeder continuously driven by a slow speed electric motor, the feedercomprising an inclined rotatable disc which dips at the bottom in thecompound to be fed and discharges the material by means of a smallcontainer or in a drop as the inclined disc is rotated. Other safetyfeatures may be employed such, for example, as a solenoid valve which isopened when the dispensing motor is operated with a signal lamp toindicate when the device is in operation and the casing having a propeller which keeps the liquid in an agitated condition so that it ismaintained uniform in quality.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a receptacle 10 has ashouldered flange 12 at the top upon which a lid or cover 14 is adaptedto be seated and in the bottom of the receptacle is a liquid 16 which iscontained in the lower part of the receptacle. At the back of thereceptacle are perforated ears '18 by which it may be secured to asupport in upright position.

A feed pipe 20 is usually provided at the bottom of the recepatcle forperiodically replenishing the liquid 16 which may be contained in thebottom of the receptacle, and at one end of the pipe 20 is a dischargefaucet 21.

In the bottom of the receptacle is a threaded discharge fitting 22 intowhich a discharge pipe 24 is inserted and extends above the height ofthe liquid 16 at the bottom of the receptacle. Into the fitting, a plug26 may be threaded for engaging a flange 27 at the bottom of the pipe 24for holding it in place. The plug also contains a magnetic plunger 28which carries a valve seat 30 as its bottom. Surrounding the magneticplunger is a winding 32 which, when energized, attracts the plunger,raising it and its valve seat from the valve head 34 so that liquidpassing downwardly through the pipe 24 will pass freely through thevalve into the discharge pipe 36, which has a drip faucet 37.

Mounted on a plate 38 supported by the flange 12 at the top of thereceptacle 10 which has a support 40 on top of the plate is a switch 42which has an operating handle 44 extending through the support formaking an electrical connection through the switch. Also supported ontop of the plate 38 is a bracket 46 for supporting a light receptacle 48in which an electric signal light bulb Si) is carried.

At the under side of the plate, an electric motor 52 is mounted by meansof a bracket 54 which is bent at the lower end and a fastening screw 56is inserted at a downward angle to mount the electric motor so that itsshaft 58 will be at the same downward inclination.

At the bottom of the motor shaft 58, a rotary disc 60 18 secured to themotor shaft by means of a screw 62 inserted through the center of thedisc and through a spacing sleeve 64 which offsets the disc at an anglewith the motor, the lower end of the disc dipping and rotating in theliquid 16 which does not extend to the height of the motor and thereforedoes not interfere with the motor operation. Near the periphery thereofare slots or holes 66 in which small buckets or dippers 68 are mounted.Each dipper edge fits against the outermost side of the disc 66 and hasa bendable projection 79, adapted to be inserted through one of theperforations do in the disc and to be bent over and against the innerface of the disc to hold the dipper in place. The projections anddippers are of bendable material preferably of light metal so that theamount of liquid engaged, raised and discharged by the dipper as thedisc is rotated in the liquid 60 may be varied by the inclination of thedipper. One end 72 of the dipper may be more-or-less pointed to directthe liquid more accurately and tending to discharge the liquid therefromin a drop or drops.

The discharge pipe 24 is arranged in the receptacle below the top of thedisc as it rotates, but located near the disc so that a drip receiver 74may be located at the top of the pipe with a trough extension 76 leavingfrom a hollow sleeve 78 and adapted to be inserted in the top of thepipe. A screw 80 extends to the top of the pipe and engages the hollowsleeve for placing the drip receiver in any desired position preferablyin a vertical line with the dippers 68 when in their raised or uppermostpositions. The screw 80 has a knurled adjustment nut 82 attached to theouter end thereof to facilitate adjustment of this drip receiver.

The drip receiver is also preferably provided with a .bandable contactwire 84 which is secured to the drip receiver by soldering or otherwiseattaching it in place. The drip receiver is preferably bendable into thepath of the liquid which is discharged from the dippers and if a smallquantity of liquid is to be fed, the wire may even be bent to contactwith the dippers or drop of liquid discharged therefrom.

The object of this construction is to more accurately direct and feed asmall quantity of liquid from the rotating disc 60. It is not necessarythat each hole 66 in the disc be provided with a dipper and the motor 52may be of any standard construction, preferably a slow speed type suchas used for a telechrone electric clock.

An agitator may be employed in connection with this device comprising asmall electric motor 86 preferably mounted upon the outside of the cover14 opposite the other motor mounting and having a shaft extension 88which projects through the cover and downwardly into the receptacle whenthe cover is placed thereon. At the lower end of the shaft extension isa propeller 90 located above the bottom of the receptacle 10 andpreferably Within a partititon 92 so that the rotation of the propellerwill induce a fiow of the liquid inwardly over the top of the partitionand downwardly from the bottom thereof so that the liquid in which thedisc 68 is mounted will be well mixed and substantially uniform incomposition if necessary. In operation, as diagrammatically representedin FIG. 6, the motor 52 is connected by conductors 94 and 96 through theswitch 42 to one source of current and through a conductor 98 to theother source of current so that whenever the handle 44 is turned to theON position, the motor will receive current, and the disc 60 will berotated. At the same time, the bulb 50 will be illuminated because ofits connection by conductors 100 and 102 to the respective conductors 94and 98, the former of which contains a resistance 104 for reducing thecurrent which passes through the bulb 50.

Conductors 106 and 108 may be connected to the lamp conductors 100 and102 respectively to energize the solenoid winding 32 for raising thevalve seat 34 and allowing a free drip connection from the pipe 24whenever the motor 52 is in operation.

With this construction, the dispenser is completely operable, thedriving motor 52 is located at an angle so that it does not receive anyof the liquid contents upon it and all of the liquid is fed through theinclined rotating disc by means of the paddles or dippers which may belocated thereon. The speed of this motor may be as large or as small asdesired, the dippers may be increased or decreased in number within thelimits of the holes 66 in the disc, and the dippers may be varied insize to receive more or less of the liquid 16 from the receptacle as thedisc is rotated. The dippers themselves receive a thorough cleansing bypasing through the liquid and may drip their entire contents upon thedrip receiver 74 at each elevation of a dipper by the disc or only adrop of the liquid may pass along the bent wire in contact therewith.The drip receiver may itself be moved out of the direct path from theuppermost dipper leaving only the bent wire 84 to direct drops of liquidfrom the dippers to the receiver, and thence through the discharge pipe24. To know whether the dispenser is in operation, it is necessary onlyto view the operating lamp 50, by removing the cover 14 or by providinga slight aperture (not shown) therethrough, the liquid 16 in thereceptacle is replenished through the pipe 20 and the liquid is agitatedand kept uniform by the mixer motor 86 which may have a separateelectric connection or connected in parallel with the motor 52, byconductors 110 and 112 connected respectively to the main motorconductors 94 and 98 respectively. This electric motor 86 is also of astandard and well known type which may be mounted and connected ifdesired, depending upon the character of the liquid 16 which is to befed.

With this dispenser, small and even minute quantities of oil, liquidmaterial containing valuable dust particles or other materials may befed continuously and uniformly without danger of clogging thetransmission pipes and without manual or other special attention to thecontinued feeding thereof.

While I have thus described this invention in some detail, it should beregarded as an illustration or example rather than as a limitation orrestriction of the invention, since various changes in the construction,combination and arrangement of the parts may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a liquid compound dispenser, a receptacle open at the top forcompound in the bottom thereof having a removable cover at the top ofthe receptacle, a plate at the top of the receptacle with a supportextending upwardly, an electric lamp and operating switch mounted on theupward support, a bracket extending downwardly from the plate having aninclined portion at the bottom, an electric motor mounted on saidportion with its axis extending downwardly in the inclined portion abovethe surface of said liquid compound, a circular feeding disc mounted onthe electric motor shaft on the inclined portion and adapted to dip intoa liquid compound at its bottom as rotated by the motor and havingdippers at the periphery to receive and to raise the compound and dis'charge it from the top thereof when the disc is rotated, a dischargetube extending through the receptacle and having its upper terminationbelow the top of the disc, a discharge tray means adjustable at the topof the tube to receive said compound spilled by gravity from the upperedge of the dipper mounted on the disc, the dippers each removablysecured near the periphery at the'relatively under side of the disc androtating by and inclined with the disc from the bottom position to thetop discharging position, means mounted on the tray and movable into thepath of the liquid compound dispensed by the dippers to guide it intothe tray at the upper portion of the path on the disc, a magnetic valvelocated in the line of the discharge tube and electrically connected andoperated to open when the motor is energized, a second motor mountedupon the cover and having a long shaft with a propeller thereonextending into a liquid compound at the bottom of the receptacle, meansadjacent the propeller for limiting the flow induced thereby to acertain direc tion in the container, the lamp, magnetic valve and thesecond motor being electrically connected to receive current at the sametime as the disc rotating motor and the lamp being visible to indicatethat the last named motor is in operation, the valve is opened, and tooperate the said second motor when the cover is applied to the upperedge of the lower receptacle.

2. A liquid compound dispenser comprising a receptacle having a space atthe bottom for said compound, a feeding disc rotatable in saidreceptacle and disposed uprightly but at an inclination to the verticalwith the lower portion extending into the compound in the receptacle,said disc having slots regularly spaced about the periphery, opendippers each having integral holding means insertable through said slotsand bendable over against the: inner face of the disc to position eachdipper at a fixed angle, motor means supported adjacent the upper sideof said disc by the receptacle and extending angularly above the liquidcompound to prevent contamination of said motor means by upward flow ofthe compound, for rotating said disc and clippers to pick up saidcompound at the bottom of the disc path and to discharge same at the topthereof, and a discharge feeding pipe terminating above the compound inthe receptacle and below the inclined upper edge of said discsubstantially in the path of and to receive compound from the dipperswhen near the top of their path and to direct the compound through thepipe for continued use thereafter, said motor means comprising a firstelectric motor, a magnetic valve for opening said discharge feeding pipewhen energized and closing said pipe when de-energized, a closing coverfor said receptacle, said cover having a second electric motor mountedthereon, said second electric motor being electrically connected withsaid first electric motor, said second electric motor having a propellersecured thereto by a long shaft, said propeller dipping into the liquidcompound when said cover is on said receptacle for agitating saidcompound, a single signal lamp on said receptacle, said lamp beingconnected with said first named motor to indicate when said first namedmotor is energized, an electrical switch on said receptacle, and anelectrical system for simultaneously supplying current to said first andsecond electric motors, said signal lamp, and said magnetic valvewhereby said switch controls current to said system.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,280,546 Ray Oct. 1, 1918 1,815,468 Favro July 21, 1931 1,828,117Mallinckrodt Oct. 20, 1931 2,259,771 Oberly Oct. 21, 1941 2,690,294 CarySept. 28, 1954 2,729,365 Fettkether et a1 J an. 3, 1956 3,043,479Gaukstern July 10, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 12,137 Great Britain Jan. 16,1913 of 1912 540,463 Great Britain Oct. 17, 1941

1. IN A LIQUID COMPOUND DISPENSER, A RECEPTACLE OPEN AT THE TOP FORCOMPOUND IN THE BOTTOM THEREOF HAVING A REMOVABLE COVER AT THE TOP OFTHE RECEPTACLE, A PLATE AT THE TOP OF THE RECEPTACLE WITH A SUPPORTEXTENDING UPWARDLY, AN ELECTRIC LAMP AND OPERATING SWITCH MOUNTED ON THEUPWARD SUPPORT, A BRACKET EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE PLATE HAVING ANINCLINED PORTION AT THE BOTTOM, AN ELECTRIC MOTOR MOUNTED ON SAIDPORTION ABOVE THE EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY IN THE INCLINED PORTION ABOVE THESURFACE OF SAID LIQUID COMPOUND, A CIRCULAR FEEDING DISC MOUNTED ON THEELECTRIC MOTOR SHAFT ON THE INCLINED PORTION AND ADPATED TO DIP INTO ALIQUID COMPOUND AT ITS BOTTOM AS ROTATED BY THE MOTOR AND HAVING DIPPERAT THE PERIPHERY TO RECEIVE AND TO RAISE THE COMPOUND AND DISCHARGE ITFROM THE TOP THEREOF WHEN THE DISC IS ROTATED, A DISCHARGE TUBEEXTENDING THROUGH THE RECEPTACLE AND HAVING ITS UPPER TERMINATION BELOWTHE TOP OF THE DIS A DISCHARGE TRAY MEANS ADJUSTABLE AT THE TOP OF THETUBE TO RECEIVE SAID COMPOUNT SPILLED BY GRAVITY FROM THE UPPER EDGE OFTHE DIPPER MOUNTED ON THE DISC, THE DIPPERS EACH REMOVABLY SECURED NEARTHE PERIPHERY AT THE RELATIVELY UNDER SIDE OF THE DISC AND ROTATING BYSAID INCLINED WITH THE DISC FROM THE BOTTOM POSITION TO THE TOPDISCHARGING POSITION, MEANS MOUNTED ON THE TRAY AND MOVABLE INTO THEPATH OF THE LIQUID COMPOIND DISPENSED BY THE DIPPERS TO GUIDE IT INTOTHE TRAY AT THE UPPER PORTION OF THE PATH ON THE DISC, A MAGNETIC VALVELOCATED IN THE LINE OF THE DISCHARGE TUBE AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED ANDOPERATED TO OPEN WHEN THE MOTOR IS ENERGIZED, A SECOND MOTOR MOUNTEDUPON THE COVER AND HAVING A LONG SHAFT WITH A PROPELLER THEREONEXTENDING INTO A LIQUID COMPOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RECEPTACLE, MEANSADJACENT THE PROPELLER FOR LIMITING THE FLOW INDUCED THEREBY TO ACERTAIN DIRECTION IN THE CONTAINER, THE LAMP MAGNETIC VALVE AND THESECOND MOTOR BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO RECEIVE CURRENT AT THE SAMETIME AS THE DISC ROTATING MOTOR AND THE LAMP BEING VISIBLE TO INDICATETHAT THE LAST NAMED MOTOR IS IN OPERATION, THE VALVE IS OPENED, AND TOOPERATE THE SAID SECOND MOTOR WHEN THE COVER IS APPLIED TO THE UPPEREDGE OF THE LOWER RECEPTACLE.